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University of California Scraps DEI Statements in Faculty Hiring Amid Trump's Crackdown

The University of California has ended the years-old practice of requiring diversity, equity, and inclusion statements in faculty hiring, its governing board announced Wednesday.

"To be clear, stand-alone diversity statements will no longer be permitted in recruitments," UC provost Katherine S. Newman said in a letter to campus leaders. While applicants may still choose to submit diversity statements, the letter acknowledges that "the requirement to submit a diversity statement may lead applicants to focus on an aspect of their candidacy that is outside their expertise or prior experience."

The decision comes as the Trump administration ramps up its crackdown on DEI programs. The Department of Education issued a directive last month warning that universities that fail to abolish their DEI programs risk losing federal grants. Earlier this month, the department also started investigating 52 universities throughout the United States for their use of "racial preferences and stereotypes in education programs and activities."

President Donald Trump on his second day back in office signed an executive order requiring universities to pledge that they don't run "programs promoting DEI that violate any applicable Federal anti-discrimination laws" when receiving grants.

Diversity statements first appeared in some UC hiring applications in the early 2000s and became more widespread in the 2010s, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Several UC